Edited, CBS does NOT have the football doubleheader today, so MOST areas should not be delayed.
Run Babushka Run is the episode title. going to Russia.
Will any teams be Drawing Chalk Circles around African Schoolchildren?
Lets hope so, that would be amusing.
IMO, Music detour was MUCH easier, if the teams did it one a time.
Maybe it is the editing, but there appears to be less bitchiness between the teams in this season.
I think I could have done the music task. I’m familiar with all three pieces so I don’t have to rely on short-term aural memory. On the other hand, if I HAD chosen the film task, I’d have been looking for the written frames first…they’re the most obvious difference between frames at that level, rather than trying to recognize tiny people.
“That’s a lot of work for french fries”…oh, dear…I’m guessing it’s not french fries those potatoes are going to become. I’m guessing vodka. It IS Russia…
The key to the film challenge seemed to be that there was one frame at the end (or head) of each correct hunk of film with a title on it. This would have also made it easy for the judge to quickly determine if he had been handed a correct one.
I wouldn’t mind a little peek when Team Doctor get some private time together and can role-play with their Russian alter-egos Natasha and Katerina…
Bad choice for a non-elimination leg. All the teams were on the same flight into St. Petersburg and essentially got a fresh start. If you were in last place by the end of this leg, you deserved to be there.
And the team in last really deserved to be there. The non-elimination was pretty well foreshadowed by the lack of manufactured suspense for them.
Kind of impressed by how well Kevin & Michael are holding up, although they still don’t seem to be ready to go the whole race.
My favorite part of this episode - how much the babushkas were getting into it with their comments.
Another bloody NEL. I was really looking forward to seeing those halfwits booted.
Was it Vicki who thought the Russians were speaking Swedish?
Although Phil kind of telegraphed the non-elim there at the end, I still thought it was an odd choice to have the two non-elims seem oddly close together and early in the Race. Keeps the Racers on their toes, I guess.
Taxi Assessment:
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Ron & Tony and Andie & Jenna and Connor & Jonathan and Katie & Rachel - Already eliminated.
Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
Nick & Vicki (shifted from “Chalk Circles”) - I’m inordinately pleased that Nick & Vicki were saved by a non-elimination. Not because I expect them to win, or because I’m tremendously fond of them (although, Nick’s Ghana-burst aside, they seem like nice people), but because they can be hilariously clueless. That’s a special skill that takes some effort to maintain, and I’d hate to lose it. But lose it we will, I’m afraid. Nick & Vicki are the only team left never to have cracked the top three, and I don’t see them ever getting there. The Speed Bump task is usually short and lame, but Nick & Vicki really can’t afford to spend any extra time, so they’ll have to hope for a bunching point next episode and a slip-up by another team.
Michael & Kevin (holding steady) - Michael & Kevin have been doing suprisingly well since they were saved by a non-elim. They’re helped, I think, by a knack for picking the better Detour task or Roadblock team-member for their particular team. This episode was no different, as all three teams who initially opted for the film task (Jill & Thomas, Brook & Claire, and Michael & Kevin) finished ahead of the other teams and would up in the top three. Michael & Kevin’s long-term viability is hurt somewhat by the fact that Michael only has done two Roadblocks to Kevin’s four. That imbalance is shared by two other teams (Nick & Vicki and Chad & Stephanie), but in the case of Michael & Kevin, I think it’s more critical because Michael is less reliable in a physical task than either Vicki or Stephanie. So despite their relatively trouble-free leg, I’m leaving this team ranked near the bottom.
Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
Chad & Stephanie (holding steady) - Ugly Chad rears his head in this episode. It’s apparently really hard for him to defer to Stephanie for pretty much anything, including tasks, like listening (hah!) that Chad has no talent for. Kudos to Stephanie for sticking to her guns and making Chad back down, but if Chad & Stephanie were a team, she wouldn’t have to do that.
"Rapido! Por Favor?" - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Jill & Thomas (holding steady) - Jill & Thomas have been slowly improving for the last four weeks, moving from seventh to fifth to third to first this week. That’s the right direction to head, certainly, but Jill & Thomas seem more like a fourth-place team that finishes a little better or a little worse, depending on the leg, than a team that’s figured out the Race and will cruise from here on out. With that in mind, I’m leaving Jill & Thomas ranked right here, but this will be an interesting team to watch to see if they break into the top three.
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Gary & Mallory (holding steady) - Gary & Mallory drop back to a disappointing sixth this episode, just behind Chad & Stephanie. That’s due in no small part to choosing the music task and later switching. To Gary & Mallory’s credit, they were the first team to decide that they needed to switch. To their demerot, Mallory appears to have a horrible time following simple directions, as evidenced by her random wandering in search of Duck’s End. I’m leaving this team ranked here for now, as I think they still outclass the teams behind them, but Mallory is looking like a weak link.
Brook & Claire (holding steady) - A pretty decent run by Brook & Claire this week. Brook & Claire aren’t brilliant, but they’re consistent, upbeat, and never ever give up. That’s a pretty good combination.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Nat & Kat (holding steady) - Although Nat & Kat drop to fourth this week, their finish was essentially due to starting with the “wrong” Detour and needing to shift to the film task. They still wound up finishing before the other teams who had started with the music task, and that includes Chad & Stephanie, who stuck it out in the music room. Nat & Kat still look like the team to beat.
[sub]Props to Mullinator and his Raj Rating[/sub]
This does raise the intriguing prospect of watching people who won’t know how to sit on a block of ice for five minutes.
I have to quibble here–his behavior was obnoxious…but so was her’s. The utterly scummy “Weeeeellll…yeeeew make the decissssion” passive-aggressive game sucks–it allows the passive aggressive weenie partner the ability to play the " Well, YOU made the decision, it’s your fault we failed" or “I let you choose, the win belongs to me” game. Plus, Stephanie has no middle gears–she’s either in “Hey, everything’s working, I’m mellow” mode OR in full-out shrieky hysteria mode. There’s nothing in-between. I’m not saying that any of this justifies Chad’s behavior, just that…well…it takes two (in this case) to tango and they deserve each other. Also, note that Stephanie was an utter bitch with the manure (throwing the shovel into the middle of the manure. Poor form and poor sportsmanship in a race that’s mostly been characterized by refreshingly adult behavior; run your own damn race)
The tasks weren’t bad this time around…needle in a haystack (film) vs an tough concentration challenge. Like JayJay, once I figured out that you could listen at any time, I think it would have been easier. From the way the clue was read, it sounded like you had to listen to all three songs, make all three guesses and then start again. Once it became obvious that you could listen to one and find it, then the next and so on? No prob.
Once again, dickwad son ignores dad because dad is old and stoopid and cheats them both out of a first-place win. (a dramatization. These are not quotes, but they summarize the attitude)
< Dad and son arrive first >
Dad: I think we should check the part across the street.
Son: The clue says “Cathedral”. The park is NOT the cathedral dad.
< Second team to arrive checks in. In the park >
Dad: Son, We’ve circled the cathedral–let check the park.
Son: Dad…:rolleyes: The “park” is DIFFERENT from the “cathedral”. Can you say “different”? I thought you could. If only you weren’t old and stupid.
< Third team to arrive checks in. In the park. >
Dad: No–son. I really think it’s right over there.
Son: Fiiiiiiiine. We’ll go over and humor you. See? We’re here and there’s nothing.
Dad: Phil’s right there. < points >
Son: I FOUND PHILLIP!!! C’mon dad! Quit slowing us down and run!
The son is a douche.
I’m having trouble getting comfortable with the idea that I’m enjoying the Home Shopping Network women. They’re shrieking constantly, but goddamn–it’s very clear they’re having fun–even with gross stuff like manure. It kills me to say this, but I think they’re a stronger team than the Doctors–and I like the doctors a lot.
Phil actually didn’t say anything about a Speed Bump for Nick and Vicki next leg. Probably just an oversight.
I wondered if it was Amazing Audio Editing, but I got a chuckle out of all the times they showed Nick telling Vicki she was wrong about a pianist she thought was playing one of the correct songs, even though she was correct. Also, what incredibly bad racing to quit on one task and then quit on the other, especially when it did not seem like they left the first one with any real sense that they had come close to figuring it out.
It seemed obvious to us, particularly if you were not familiar with the music, to work that task with a focus on one song at a time, which Vicki ultimately figured out.
I noticed something interesting when Kevin and Michael were in the park at the end, but before they figured out where they needed to go. Kevin was starting to tell his dad that they should go back to the cathedral again, but their cameraman appeared to be running across the lawn away from them. Michael seemed to be cued by this, and then spotted Phil. Seemed like a giveaway by the cameraman, which I would think happens quite often. If I’m ever on the race wandering around without a clue, I’ll be looking for occasions where the cameraman is hanging out behind me, filming a tree or the ground so he can get a shot for them to use when they edit in the zither of stupidity sound in post.
Yeah, a double bald-snark is never a good sign. I’m kind of glad Nick & Vicki are still in because, as mentioned above, their cluelessness is kind of entertaining.
Did anyone else get a flashback to the Clowns in Season 4? “MANURE!”
The piano task reminded me of the telephone task from a couple of seasons back – you know, the task that nailed the Globetrotters.
Very middling episode. I was surprised it was a non-elim round too. But I honestly cannot see Nick and Vicki lasting much longer. Or Michael and Kevin, for that matter.
But Stephanie pointed that out in the episode. She wanted to stay and finish while he kept saying “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do.” So she told him “You know what I want to do, what do you want to do?”
I agree completely, and
It looks from the previews that next week will be more of the douchey same
It’s a whole middling season, IMHO. I’ve missed an entire episode (last week), half of a previous one, and I missed the first half of last night’s because we were still trick-or-treating and I just don’t care.
I have to disagree here. Stephanie pretty clearly said “I think we should stay. I want to stay” several times, and yet Chad never stopped bitching. He didn’t want to say they should leave, he wanted her to say it so he could then blame her if they failed.
Great episode. I loved the girl-bonding on the train, the Domer Douchebag’s “of COURSE I’ve been on a train” comment, the eeeeeevil choice between two very difficult Detours which only Team Glee might have rocked, the cheering encouragement of the babushkas, Kevin missing out on first place because he didn’t rely on his dad’s only real strength, and the NE of Team Tattoopid, both of whom have been growing on me quite a bit in the last two episodes. Vicki is by far the toughest woman on the team, Nick said he’d change and then ACTUALLY CHANGED, unlike anyone I’ve seen on this race before, and they both have a sense of humor about their obvious shortcomings and a decent attitude. I was sad to see them go, and then they didn’t. Chances are they’re next, but I’ll get at least one more week of them.
Hey, he sophisticated. He has a bachelors degree. From Notre Dame.
I’ve never watched Amazing Race before this season, but the new GF is a big fan, so we’ve been watching together. There’s something that seems obvious to me, that everyone else seems to take for granted is false: the producers decide whether it’s a non-elimination week after seeing which team would be eliminated. That is, if the last-place team is a fairly boring one with whom the viewers probably haven’t made much of a connection, then the producers will allow them to be eliminated. If the last-place team is hilariously stupid (like Nick & Vicki), or has a fascinating team dynamic that keeps everyone talking at the water cooler (like Michael & Kevin), then the producers will nudge Phil, who will announce “surprise! This was a non-elimination week the whole time! Nobody was ever in any real danger!”
It’s an easy way for the producers to control who stays in the race based on who they think will bring better ratings. It would be crazy for the producers NOT to do this, IMO. When Nick & Vicki started falling behind this week, I bet my girlfriend that this would be a non-elimination week, because N & V are so much fun to watch.
You guys are veterans of this show, what do you think?